This story was reported and written by VPM News.
When Savannah Morris first applied to Virginia Commonwealth University, she didn’t think studying abroad could be a reality for her because of the cost. But when she realized she could receive scholarships, she decided it’s what she wanted to do.
Her adviser in VCU’s Global Education Office told her she would be a perfect candidate for the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, a federally-funded program through the U.S. State Department for Pell Grant–eligible students.
Morris applied for the grant and in December was told she would receive a total of $6,500 through the program to study in Seoul — including a critical language award to bolster her study of Korean.
“It kind of felt like a confirmation to me that you have no other reason not to go,” Morris said.
Over 40 students at Virginia colleges – including Morris – were granted the scholarship last fall. According to the scholarship’s website, nearly 50% of recipients are first-generation college students.
But on Feb. 13, scholarship recipients were notified of a 15-day freeze on the program’s funds. Those 15 days came and went, with no update.
Then on Feb. 25, Morris got an email from the program’s administrator, the Institute of International Education, stating that it had “not received cash disbursements” from the federal government to release the funds.
When Morris saw it, she said it felt like the world dropped out.
“They can't do this,” Morris said. “This is our money. We worked for this money. We went through the application process like everybody else, the people that came before us. This is unfair. This is unjust.”
Morris is now working on a contingency plan in the event the funds don’t arrive in time for her to book flights and meet other program deadlines.
She’s scrambling to apply to even more scholarship programs because she has her heart set on attending Yonsei University in Seoul. Morris said the school has a renowned political science program, which will be important since she’d like to eventually work as a diplomat in the U.S. foreign service.
“This is the program I had set my sights on, that I based my future on,” Morris said. “So trying to wipe off the board and plan from there … it’s something I didn’t expect to do because I just felt cemented.”
In a statement, U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine told VPM News that “it’s outrageous that the Trump Administration continues to illegally withhold federal funding Congress has voted to allocate to key programs that Virginians rely on, including programs that help train the next generations of American workers.”
Kaine added he’ll continue to do everything he can to “stop the Trump Administration’s reckless hold on federal funds.”
On Monday, Morris’ adviser told her that the IIE has received some funding for the program and is processing select scholarship payments, but is prioritizing those students who are already abroad.
That email comes after the New York Times reported Friday some students abroad were waiting on scholarship payments.
Students at several Virginia universities — including the University of Virginia, George Mason University, the University of Richmond and Washington & Lee University — were awarded Gilman scholarships through the program’s fall 2024 application cycle.
Meg Stallard received a Gilman award to study abroad in Seoul in spring 2024, and said it was a life-changing experience. A climate diplomacy class at Chung Ang University led her to change her major to political science.
“It's absolutely been the most transformative period of my life,” Stallard said. “It’s shaped where I’m heading now.”
According to spokespeople at UVA, GMU and the University of Richmond, all recipients at their respective schools have received their scholarship money – including those still abroad.
Only four out of 12 W&L students have received their scholarship funds, according to communications director Drewry Sackett.
The remaining eight have yet to study abroad: One plans to study this spring, four over the summer and three in the fall.
Five VCU students who received the Gilman scholarship last fall have received their awards, according to Stephanie Tignor, VCU’s director of global learning.
According to Tignor, three students who are not abroad yet — including Morris — are still waiting on scholarship disbursements.
These students plan to study abroad later this year, but the uncertainty over funding is causing financial hardship and stress.
Joi Coleman, a VCU senior biology major who plans to study in Costa Rica this summer, said her mom is now trying to secure a loan to cover what the $3,500 Gilman funds would’ve. Coleman, 22, is also planning to increase the hours she’s working at her two part-time jobs as payment deadlines for the program are fast approaching.
“It’s just really disconcerting to have the rug yanked out from underneath us because we had already been promised this money,” Coleman said. “We’re in limbo, and we don’t really know if we’re going to get our money when we’d already started to feel so happy about getting it.”
Studying abroad has always been part of Coleman’s dream for her college experience; she was supposed to travel abroad during freshman year, but those plans got squashed by the pandemic.
Coleman said this is her last chance to do it since she’s nearing completion of her degree. The environmental studies minor has been looking forward to classes like tropical marine biology and conservation biology in Costa Rica. She’s considering careers that touch on waterways: everything from water management to sea level rise to studying aquatic species.
“Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse places on the planet,” Coleman said. “I'm really excited for all of the wildlife.”
Coleman just has two biology lab classes left in order to graduate; those are what she’s planning to complete abroad. She said waiting until the fall semester to take them at VCU would cost roughly as much as taking them abroad, because a lot of her financial aid requires her to be a full-time student.
That’s why she’s doing everything she can to ensure she can still study abroad.
“This, for me, has to happen,” Coleman said. “There’s no way around it.”
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